![Ten hours of dual instruction in a tailwheel-equipped aircraft is usually required for proficiency. [Credit: AdobeStock]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/AdobeStock_354747155.jpg?w=534&h=462&crop=1 "Learning How to Drag Your Tail")
![The alternative to bending down as the propeller is pulled through the compression stroke is to keep the back straight and bend the knees slightly, stepping away in a crouch. [Credit: LeRoy Cook]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/IMG_1519-scaled.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Manual Starting Methods")
![The newly-restored F-24 enjoying the morning sun. [All Images Credited to Mike Davenport]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/DSC_0001.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Golden Age Revival")
![[Credit: AdobeStock]](https://www.kitplanes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/AdobeStock_176619176.jpg?w=265&h=198&crop=1 "Instructional Inflexibility")
An Icon Passes
Chris Heintz left behind a legacy of innovative, functional design and successful kit-company strategies that relied on keeping the designs simple and costs low.
Barriers to Entry
Sometimes, when using shorthand in our conversations about Experimental aviation, we use the term “barriers to entry” primarily in the context of money. And...
Defining “Done”
“Kerry, you know your airplane could be flying in two weeks.” That observation, offered by someone qualified to make the assessment, caught me off...
Positive Capture
Aircraft fasteners that are critical almost always have a positive capture design or mechanism.
Primer on Paint
Decisions, decisions. One of the blessings of building an airplane is the ability to dress it up any way you please. However, for those...
Excited About EFBs
Recently, I came across photos of my work in the 1990s, when I was with AOPA Pilot and often moving airplanes from coast to...
Know (You May Be) the Limit
I was in a bad place. I knew the flight might not end well before I took off from the taxiway of an Air...
Check Ride Chalk Talk
I think it is safe to assume that the vast majority of our readers have taken a check ride “practical test” at least once...
Electric Flight From Behind the Wheel
It’s safe to assume few of us have flown via electric power at this point, while some of us have no doubt taken a spin in an electric car.
In Case You Missed It
Roll Your Own Control Locks
A lightweight, inexpensive alternative to wrapping a seat belt around the stick. By Axel Alvarez.